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Date: 4/25/2015
Time: 15:49
Address: 76 Main Street Hackensack NJ 07601
Type of occupancy: 3 Story Tax payer (stores on 1st floor apartments above)
Platoon: First
Incident Commander: Deputy Chief Charles Grieco
Number of alarms: Three
Firefighter injuries: 2
Civilian injuries: 0
Mutual aid towns assisting on scene: Teaneck, Bogota, Englewood, Maywood, Ridgefield Park.
Companies assisting at headquarters: Little Ferry, River Edge, Bogota, Ridgefield Park
Other agencies assisting: Hackensack Volunteer EMS, Hackensack UMC BLS & ALS, Hackensack Building Department and Police Department, United Water, PSE&G, Red Cross.
Cause of fire: Under investigation
Extent of damage: Extensive fire damage to 2nd, 3rd floor & roof area.
Brief overview of actions: Fire department received a call from Hackensack Police reporting smoke coming from the roof of 76 Main Street.. Engines 2, 1, 5, and 4 along with Ladder 1 and Rescue 1 responded under the command of D/C Grieco Upon arrival of D/C Grieco he reported smoke showing from the roof area and from the first floor restaurant and requested a 2nd alarm be transmitted bringing a Teaneck Fast team and Englewood truck to the scene. Upon arrival of the company’s engine 4 stretched a 2 ½ attack line to the 1st floor, engines 2 & 5 stretched hand lines to the 2nd and 3rd floor as engine 1 established a water supply. E4 began to extinguish the fire in the 1st floor kitchen. Ladder 1 and rescue 1 began to search the apartments and start ventilation on the upper floors. They reported heavy smoke and heat with fire extending to the upper floors and requested the roof to be open. 1st alarm companies operated on all floors and additional Hackensack companies assisted with roof ventilation along with Englewood truck. Command transmitted a 3rd alarm for additional companies to the scene and for city coverage. Conditions began to deteriorate causing command to evacuate members out of the building. Companies made an additional push to extinguish fire on all floors but rapidly deteriorating conditions on the 3rd floor and in the cockloft caused command to withdraw all companies from the building and begin an exterior operation using several ladder pipes and 2 ½ inch hand lines. Heavy fire was knocked down and companies began to reenter the building to check for additional hot spots and conduct secondary searches. Members were able to rescue a dog and reunite it with its owner. Due to the amount of fire and the condition of the building Hackensack building department along with Boswell Engineering deemed the building to be compromised and had to be knocked down. Companies remained on scene overnight while the building was being demolished. American Red Cross was on scene to relocate families from the 12 apartments that were affected by the fire. We will pass on information on how to help the affected families when we receive it

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Members of the city council stopped by fire headquarters on Tuesday April 14 before the council meeting to meet with Chief Freeman and inspect the departments new ladder truck. Chief freeman explained some of the new and updated equipment and features of the new Pierce ladder and the importance of this new ladder to serve the city residents.